


When the Wolves Come Home

by OneHundredSuns



Series: It's All Just Borrowed Time [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe - Zombies, Angst, BAMF Allison Argent, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, End of the World, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, POV Allison Argent, POV Derek Hale, Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy, Werewolves, Zombies, character injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 14:26:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22193758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneHundredSuns/pseuds/OneHundredSuns
Summary: It is a fact of life that all journeys must inevitably come to an end. For Allison and Derek there was really only one way they would allow that to happen. Together.Derek/Allison (Teen Wolf) Zombie AU [Inspired by The Walking Dead][Final Installment]
Relationships: Alan Deaton/Original Male Character(s), Allison Argent/Derek Hale, Chris Argent/Marin Morrell, Danny Mahealani/Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Lydia Martin/Jordan Parrish, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes
Series: It's All Just Borrowed Time [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/158894
Comments: 34
Kudos: 36





	1. Something to Hold Onto

**Author's Note:**

> GUYS lol. Things have been crazy! But most of you might have known that if you ever stopped by my tumblr. If not well real life got messy & I didn't write a lot, and every time I said I was going to something else popped up like a bitch. However it's a new yr and I am feeling good about it, about my family's health and about my creative side. This is the 2nd fic I'm updating in a week so I'm like xD right now.
> 
> Anyway we have finally reached the end of my Derek/Allison zombie saga. This installment will be the last and hopefully you all enjoy it. I don't think I could have started ending it without all of your support so thank you so much. Expect a sappier A/N when it's all over but yeah lol. Now on to the fic!

Chapter One: Something to Hold Onto

The campgrounds had been ravished like so many other places in the world but they were also safer than most. Someone had put their brain to good use and figured out that they could use the discarded RVs as a type of barrier to keep the dead at bay. Probably through trial and error they’d pushed and pulled them into a circle around the cabins in the immediate area, making it pretty secure for the most part. Zombies still got through of course but heavy spikes had been planted in the ground to impale them when they shuffled forward. Then they could be killed or burned or what have you.

After driving around for a few hours they’d stumbled upon it by accident but quickly decided it would be a good place to rest for a few days. To get food, assess their supplies and maybe even find something worth using. That’s how it had been for the past three months; roaming the roads and squatting in random homes when they could. Looking for any sign of their friends and finding a few but always being too late to track them. The land was fucked, _scents_ were fucked so it appeared they were depending on pure luck to actually hook up with them. It wasn’t much but Allison hung onto it.

Knowing at least some of them were out there—probably looking for them too—well that made a huge difference.

Allison missed everyone else terribly. It wasn’t the same without her dad’s gruff voice or Stiles’ stupid jokes or Scott’s excited smiles. It was like missing a limb and she knew the others felt it too. Plus they still weren’t sure who was alive and who wasn’t.

With a stretch and a satisfied groan, Allison strolled over to the stove and checked the potatoes she was currently boiling. They’d be done soon and then she’d fry up the meat for the tacos. While traveling they’d met an old man whose entire life was slaughtering cows and turning them into burgers. He’d lived out in the middle of nowhere and hardly saw any walkers, not enough to really affect him in a negative way anyway. But he wasn’t stupid; he knew any living thing would eventually lure more to him so he’d started the task of “lowering his inventory” as he’d called it.

They’d been able to trade and now had meat for a little while. Would have been less of a while if they hadn’t found the camp with its small generator and freezer. It kept noise but the barricade did enough to keep the dead it attracted at bay.

Time was still tricky, as in what day it actually was and so on but since leaving the rehab building she’d started marking the days as best she could. According to Melissa she’d been eleven weeks and some change before the prison was destroyed yet now by her count she was twenty three give or take. She wasn’t sure what that meant in terms of development for a baby but she knew how big she’d grown and what she was experiencing. Mostly cravings for things she couldn’t have and leg cramps because of the extra weight. Her stomach was so round now, like a perfectly inflated basketball. Lydia theorized there was a _chance_ she’d be bigger if she were getting the food she should be but it wasn’t crucial. And to be honest Allison didn’t feel bad at all. Perhaps not up to running through the woods at great length but if push came to shove she could still haul ass.

Derek however was determined to make sure that never happened. Or at least didn’t happen often.

Being careful meant a lot more now. She didn’t like the idea of lingering behind with Lydia while he and Cora went first into this house or that store but she didn’t argue; she understood. And yet she managed to explode heads even now—her marksman skills were surely through the roof. Anyway though they had a system and it worked. Derek and Cora were extra careful because they knew if they got in over their heads she wouldn’t hesitate to burst in to save them. Not putting _her_ in that situation meant keeping a keen eye out and relying on their senses as well as _common_ sense. So far so good.

Yawning, she popped a few pretzels into her mouth and wandered over to the screen door, gazing out into the yard. Cora was stabbing the few walkers that were around with a fire poker while Lydia walked behind her with a clipboard and pen. They’d become quite close these past few months, not dating close but perhaps like sisters. Cousins who acted like sisters. Whenever Lydia got sad about the others Cora would try to cheer her up or at least pick a nit-picky argument to put her mind on other matters. It was nice that when she and Derek drifted off into their own little world, they both had someone to hang out with.

None of them had been talking about a long term plan because they still felt incomplete, but it wasn’t far from their minds. Allison _would_ give birth soon and while Lydia had books on the subject she wasn’t too keen on being the back up if they didn’t find Melissa. So much could go wrong and Melissa _was_ a medical professional—she’d know what to do, if things were taking too long and a C-section was necessary. But there was an area Derek wanted to explore; it was just out of the zone where the rest of their Pack could be. Eventually they’d stop their large looping and expand out in search of more.

Maybe finding a place to put down roots again was actually the smarter choice. Let the others come to them.

Some part of her had thought after Derek’s Alpha thing at the rehab place, that they would have almost immediately found Scott and their Pack. Silly really but super optimistic. Thinking about it now she idly wondered if Kali and Donovan were still alive. Part of her kind of hoped not. Yeah Kali had helped—in the end—but she’d caused a lot of damage before growing a conscious. And had she not Derek would no doubt be dead.

Almost losing Derek to someone like Deucalion brought up bad memories of Gerard ordering her to bring him Derek’s heart. Two power hungry assholes acting like Kings, demanding fealty because they thought they were owed it. God she’d felt so fucking helpless in that stupid ass barn. Never again was what she’d vowed to herself. Even pregnant and showing she refused to let anyone else intimidate her. She didn’t have claws or magic powers but she had weapons and they were better than nothing. Beating them hadn’t been easy but they were dead and no longer the monsters at the end of their fairytales.

After giving birth and taking time to heal she planned to hopefully get back into fighting shape. Be tougher and perhaps meaner if the situation called for it. She was a _Hunter_ ; maybe even the second to last of her long distinguished line. There was really no excuse for someone getting the jump on her again. Gerard had been a power hungry asshole but his lessons about trusting your instincts counted for something. Especially when it came to defeating him.

Speaking of weapons they’d acquired a new haul after leaving Gentle Brook Hospital. It’d happened by accident really while simply wandering in the SUV they’d recently procured. Stopping so that Cora could dip into the bushes to pee, she’d returned saying she’d heard several heartbeats a few yards away. Curiosity more than anything had them silently making their way through the brush until they came upon a small haphazard camp of three men. Three drunken men passed out and snoring with the third guy propped against a tree, his gun lying in his lap. He was probably the one meant to be keeping watch.

With a devious grin Cora had sneaked over and stolen most of their guns, including their bag of ammo. Allison had felt a bit bad about it until Derek remarked they’d reeked of human blood, and that there was no way they had military grade weapons without smashing a few innocent heads. Now she used them without guilt to keep her loved ones safe.

The notion of running from zombies and people driven to their most horrible instincts still flabbergasted her at times. As of late her dreams about a normal life seemed extra vivid, and sometimes she woke up slightly confused about where she was. Idly she wondered what she would be doing if Gerard hadn’t broke the world. Preparing for the SATs or already having to listen to Lydia ramble about prom? Would she be with Scott or someone else? Honestly it wasn’t easy to consider her life now and the one she’d been forced to leave behind because even with the dead tumbling around, there were things she wouldn’t change even if she had a hundred wishes. If being a normal high school student meant giving up Derek and her soon to be kid? Well she was selfish enough to admit she’d pick them every time and keep the world doomed.

_What does that say about me? Shades of Kate I wonder…_

With a low thump the back door to the cabin opened and she smiled as Derek walked inside, kicking mud off his shoes onto the small mat. He dropped his armful of firewood and took off his jacket, hanging it on a nail by the door. “Not sure how I feel about this extended winter,” he said wryly. “Or whatever it is. We were lucky we got anything to grow back at the prison. Though I guess it could be self contained depending on the area. I don’t think we’re ever going to get regular seasons again.”

“I don’t mind it,” she replied with a shrug. “Not like we were gonna be going to the beach or anything. Being pregnant while it’s cool sounds better too and if this is how it feels cold, I want it to last. Not looking forward to summer. I think it’s more in the air if that makes sense. Like the ground knows what’s up. Or hey maybe we just got lucky. Next time we might need one of those things…what’s it called? I wanna say greenhouse but I’m not sure that’s right. Eh.”

He chuckled and crossed over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pressed his hands to the swell of her stomach and rubbed. “How are you feeling?”

She smirked. “I’m good. As soon as the potatoes are done I’m gonna make the tacos.”

Derek kissed her temple, one hand moving behind her to rub her lower back. “Sounds good. How much meat do we have left? Is it still looking good?”

She nodded. “I’d say enough for a few more meals of this type or like a sloppy joe maybe. The solid stuff will probably last longer, especially since it’s not like eighty or ninety degrees outside. I hope anyway—canned fruit isn’t gonna cut it right now. As long as it’s not brown it’s good.”

“Yes ma’am.” His eyes drifted outside. “What are those two doing?”

“Cora is killing a few stragglers and Lydia is…documenting it? Heh or something. Just passing the time I suppose. Not much to do around here but make yourself useful.” With a sigh she leaned back against his chest. “So we’ve been here almost a week. Going for two or gonna get moving soon?”

“What do you wanna do?” he inquired. “It’s safe here…mostly. I mean I don’t want to live here long term but I wouldn’t be against staying a little longer. You need your rest and that’s easier to get when you can stretch out in a bed.”

_That is true._ “I do like sleeping in a bed again. But I’m also used to being on the road now, and it’s not as horrible as I once thought. Besides we both want to find the others and I know you think being out actively searching is the best bet. And _no_ you can’t go out and do it alone.”

Derek snickered. “Okay okay. I’ll ask Lydia about our supplies and how she feels about getting back on the road. Haven’t heard her sniffle in a while though so I think her cold has cleared up.”

Allison wet her lips. “If we don’t find them this time we can—we can check out that area on your map. The one she dreamed about that didn’t make her feel dread.”

“Okay,” he said softly. “If that’s what you want.”

What she wanted was their group back together but she knew that might not ever happen. It was a horrible thought but these days you had to be realistic. “Mmhm.”

Exhaling deeply, she grinned when as she felt a tiny tap from within. By now Derek and the others could feel the baby move but the first time she’d felt a flutter they’d been hunkered down in the basement of a women’s shelter as a mini herd passed by. As they’d listened to the sounds of shuffling feet tear the building down around them as they pushed through, she’d experienced what she’d assumed was nerves or maybe even a bit of gas. She had not brought it up to the others until they were safe and then of course Lydia had told her about the quickening. AKA finally being able to feel your baby move.

Since then the quivers had only grown. Now they were fully fledged movements; tiny feet socking her in the kidneys or in the sides. It was such an odd feeling and one she couldn’t really describe unless to compare it to some type of alien possession. There was a small alien living inside of her that liked to kick her if she lay on her side for too long.

“She’s active today.” Derek smiled and poked the spot where the taps were coming from. “Or impatient for food.”

“You really think it’s a girl?” She asked with amusement. “I thought you’d be saying _he_ trying to wish it into being.”

“The Hale line has more success with female Alphas. I’m a fluke. And I don’t know…” He gave her stomach a slight squeeze before turning his attention outside. “She’s also going to be half Argent and your hunting line was started by a woman. Really though as long as it’s healthy I’ll be good.”

“I think it is,” she said confidently. “Pregnancy isn’t usually this easy—at least not according to those books I read that Lydia found. I think by nature of the baby being part werewolf it’s not as hard on me, which I _love_ by the way. At this point I’d even welcome a pair of glowing eyes.”

Derek snorted and patted her shoulder. “I don’t think it’ll go that far. I mean it never has before but these are strange days. The rules don’t matter much anymore.”

Allison tilted her head to the side. “What if our baby isn’t a wolf? What if she’s just a boring old human?”

He pulled a frying pan from an overhead cabinet and made sure it was free of dust. “Well my mother was a wolf and so was Peter, and all of my sisters are or were wolves so it just makes sense that our kid would be too. While there were humans in our family they were the minority. Now future kids…”

_Future kids?_ “I—you—you want more kids after this one?”

Blinking, he shrugged and unwrapped the ground meat she’d left on the table. “I meant future kids in general.”

She arched a brow. “You know if we found a secure place to stay like forever… Having a life and a family is what people do. I’m sure people in worse situations than ours aren’t letting a little thing like the dead coming back to life stop them.”

“True,” he mused. “I was speaking generally but I’m not against the idea either. You’re right—we can’t put our lives on old because of what _might_ happen. But first we have to get this one squared away.”

“I know you’re going to do whatever you have to do, to keep the baby safe. Even if something happens to me.”

“Nothing is going to happen to you.”

“There could be complications—”

“No. There will be no complications or unforeseen bullshit.”

“I love your certainty but how can you be so sure?”

“The universe has taken too much from me already. I think I’m dumb enough to figure it won’t take you too.”

Touched, Allison pulled him into her arms for a big crushing hug. “For what it’s worth I feel really optimistic about all this. Maybe I’m dumb too.”

Derek rested his forehead against hers. “We’re in good company.” With a sigh, he pulled back and tucked strands of hair behind her ear. “I’m going to find the others. I don’t care how long it takes or where we have to look. I’m going to find them because we’re stronger together.”

_That we are._ “Hey _we_ are going to find them. But first, lunch.”

About fifteen minutes later they were all gathered around the rickety kitchen table with their food, Cora helping Lydia get her taco in order. Allison hadn’t really known what to make of Cora when they’d first met but she’d sort of felt she was someone they could trust. Discovering that she was Derek’s long lost little sister made an odd kind of sense. Beacon Hills was where you went to find lost things so, yeah; of course he’d find his sister in the mix. Since that day however Cora had done nothing but fit in with the rest of their misfit gang. And it was nice to see Derek so happy about having a blood relative back in his life. Especially one that he’d assumed was dead.

It made Allison wonder about whom else could be wandering around out in the world. With the exception of her and Scott (and perhaps Stiles though with what happened to the prison, it didn’t look good) everyone else had lost their parents in the ensuing apocalypse. But that didn’t mean other classmates or teachers weren’t alive. They’d stumbled upon Mr. Harris by accident, same as the farm with Earl and his gang. Other people were _out_ there and some of them were bound to be from Beacon Hills. Of course that begged the question did she hope to run _into_ any of these people?

_Our track record is spotty I suppose. Parrish turned out alright but those men we stole our weapons from were definitely murderous assholes. I guess we use the wolves as our personal lie detector tests..._

“You look like you’re deep in thought,” Lydia said ripping open a tiny salt packet they’d found somewhere with her teeth. “What’s up?”

Allison put her elbows on the table. “I think we should get back on the road. It’s nice here and relatively quiet but we aren’t exactly getting anything done. And honestly I want to be more secure when I have the baby. Even if that’s squatting in an old school or whatever. As long as it has brick walls…”

Cora nodded. “I like that plan.”

“Me too,” Lydia said in agreement.

“Then I guess it’s settled.” Allison squeezed Derek’s hand. “We roll out at dawn.”

=-=

The next morning they were back on the road in a black SUV; a big Tahoe they’d found abandoned on the side of the road about a week before discovering the campgrounds. Apparently it had run out of gas and instead of trying to find some, the previous driver simply left it. Walking anywhere these days was extremely dangerous but sometimes you had no other choice. However Derek made it a point to stop at whatever gas station they came across, using his considerable strength to break into the main gas container so they could siphon some out. They always had an extra jug in the trunk.

Cora and Lydia were chatting in the back with Cora lamenting all of the RVs they’d left behind. She’d wanted to trade in the truck for one of those, citing an actual little kitchen, toilet and bed but mileage wise it just wasn’t a good idea. Not to mention there was no way it could get the speed they might end up needing to escape a dicey situation.

“Those RVs were trashed,” Allison said turning in her seat. “Walkers had been pounding on them for who knows how long.”

“I know. I didn’t say it was a good idea just that I wish we could have taken one.” Cora shrugged idly. “Or at least the bathroom.”

“One would think you’d be used to bushes by now,” Lydia mused. “As long as we stay away from poison ivy we’ll be fine. Oh and poison oak. And snakes…”

Cora snorted and folded her legs underneath her. “When was the last time any of us even _saw_ a snake though? Heh remember that walker trying to catch that squirrel?”

Lydia made a face. “It shouldn’t have been funny…but it was. I suppose that’s what we have for entertainment now. Still better than _The Bachelor_.”

Allison chuckled, eyes shifting back out of the windshield. There had indeed been a gangly zombie attempting to catch a wayward squirrel; it was one of those things you’d never have believed if you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes. She’d always wondered what the wildlife thought about their new environment. About these strange new creatures making so many of them prey. From what she’d gathered the smaller animals like squirrels and the skittish ones like deer kept their distance like always. They could tell _something_ was wrong but had no desire for a closer look. Bears on the other hand often tried to fight a walker, and sometimes they won and other times they ended up food.

It was a small mercy that Gerard’s weird virus only affected humans. She could take a lot of things but an undead bird wasn’t one of them.

Cracking her knuckles, she burrowed deeper into her warm coat and watched the scenery fly by. Things were in disarray without road crews coming along to keep it all tidy. Not to mention whatever the dead had done to the ecosystem. The worst was fallen trees and downed power lines blocking their way. Not a real match for people like Derek and Cora but it meant leaving the safety of the vehicle when anything could be lurking in the woods. Bushes and fields were completely overgrown. Sometimes entire sections of road were missing thanks to random sinkholes. There were also bodies, not as many as you’d expect since most had been eaten or were up walking around, but a few remained. Half torsos or severed heads…an arm here or there.

Gross but almost normal considering how long it had been since the outbreak. At least a year and a half if not more by her estimate.

_Sometimes I can’t believe we’ve survived this long. In the beginning I was sure we wouldn’t make it a week yet here we are…._

_Some of us anyway._

As Derek slowed to edge around a group of vultures enjoying a truly disgusting meal, she spotted a house off into the distance. A woman was hanging out a basket of laundry on a clothesline while a man with a shotgun stood guard behind her. Both glanced up at the sound of their truck but made no move to flag them down.

“People are trying to carve out a new normal.” She looked at Derek. “Normal people surviving and living. Regular people. Proof that we’re more resilient than we give ourselves credit for.”

He hummed. “You didn’t think you were resilient?”

She smiled wryly. “Alright so other people like those that didn’t know about the supernatural before this. They’re adapting.”

He nodded and squeezed her thigh. “Yeah they are. Shit won’t ever be like it was but there will be a new normal. A generation will come up never knowing a world without walkers. It’s fucked up but they’ll probably navigate it better than we did.”

Allison poked at her tummy. “Our kid probably won’t even be scared of the dead. Honestly I don’t think I’m scared anymore either. They are like any other threat that wants you dead. And if you do it right you can put them down for good.”

Lydia threw a cracker at her. “Hey speak for yourself; walkers still scare the hell out of me. Something that has its guts hanging out yet is still walking around will always freak me out. I mean I’ll fight them but I don’t like them.”

Cora yanked lightly on her braid. “Pretty sure no one likes them. Then again there might be a creepy person out there who likes them _too_ much.”

“Cora,” Derek warned but his voice lacked heat. “I’ll put you in the trunk again.”

“I’m not seven anymore!” she exclaimed. “Though I do still bite. And—hey do you hear that?”

Tilting his head to the side, he brought the SUV to a stop in the middle of the road. “Water. Must be a pond or stream nearby. We could fill up our jugs and purify it later.”

_Sounds like a good idea._ “I’m game.”

Derek maneuvered the SUV across a ditch and as far into the woods as he could get without running into a tree. They all piled out—weapons ready—and Derek fiddled under the hood, removing a core wire from a spark plug so that even if someone attempted to put their hot wiring skills to good use, the engine still wouldn’t turn over. Cora hefted four empty jugs out of the back and together they started towards the water.

Lydia checked her gun to make sure the safety was off. “I don’t sense any of the dead around. We might actually be able to do this without constantly looking over our shoulders. Of course since I have no idea how any of _this_ works so perhaps you shouldn’t quote me on that.”

Allison nudged her shoulder. “Hey you’ve been right before. Remember when you predicted that walker in the closet? He was quiet as a mouse but you knew he was in there.”

She stepped over a fallen limb. “I can’t explain it. Sometimes I get nothing or everything is normal, and then other times it’s like—it’s like soft fingertips on the back of my neck. Whispers in my head and I have to struggle to listen because they all want to talk at once.” Sighing, she bit her bottom lip. “I hope we find Deaton. He might have some answers…and if he doesn’t he’ll pretend he does.”

_You’re not wrong._ “True. Finding the others would be great. Then you wouldn’t have to deliver this baby.”

Lydia gasped. “Oh God don’t remind me about that. I love you and I would do anything for you but I don’t want to have to see that.”

Allison laughed. “But you’re the one who has been studying up on it.”

“Yeah as a last resort. I’m second string, only here for an emergency.”

“I guess Derek can always do it.”

Derek grunted from his place a few footsteps ahead. “I would. I’ve seen my older sister cut in half and my Uncle burnt to a crisp. Nothing shocks me anymore.”

_Seeing a live birth is a lot different however._ “If money still had any meaning at all we could bet on it.”

Soon enough they discovered the remnants of what used to be a small dirt path now covered with brown patches of grass. Upon following it they came to a wide serene pond that stretched off around a bend. As Cora moved to fill up their containers, Allison cradled her semi automatic rifle and looked around. Off and on she’d wondered if the rest of the world was as fucked as they were and sometimes she’d waffled on the answer being yes or no. But as more time passed without seeing any airplanes above or outside allies coming to help, she’d realized Gerard had succeeded in making his virus global. He was probably roasting in hell and laughing his ass off, thinking he got the final word.

_I guess he did in a way. He left us without a cure. At least that we know of._

“Do you think a cure for Gerard’s virus could be out there?”

Lydia kicked at a nearby rock. “It’s possible. You know through all of this I’ve been so focused on staying alive that I—I’ve never thought about the other aspects. Like back at the prison I was mostly trying to make it livable. Now I wonder if perhaps I should have been studying the virus or whatever it is. I could…with the right instruments. Maybe _I_ could find a cure.”

Allison smiled. “If anyone can do it, it’d be you. That can be your next project if we find a suitable place to call home. I’ll help you set up a lab and we can get you some walkers to study. Truly dead ones of course.”

Lydia groaned softly. “Ugh what have I gotten myself into? Least I could guilt trip Stiles and Danny into being my assistants…if we find them…”

Allison opened her mouth to assure her best friend things would end up working out when a rather abrupt sounding shriek cut through the quiet. Derek was immediately on high alert, staring in the direction that the sound had come from. He sniffed the air and exhaled deeply, cutting his red eyes to Cora. She nodded slowly as though they were on the same wavelength.

“Zombie attack?” Allison asked.

Derek shook his head. “No I don’t smell any nearby.”

Cora tightened the cap to her water jug. “It has to be humans being assholes. I smell blood and toxic masculinity. Probably a bunch of dickheads giving some girl a hard time. Or worse.”

Loathe as she was to get involved, Allison also felt like she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. “We should see what’s up.” Off Derek’s expression she added, “ _I know_ but it doesn’t feel right walking away when we could help. I’m willing to hang back with Lydia and keep you and Cora within my sights in case they have weapons. Or I could always just take them out myself.”

Derek scratched at his cheek. “I can detect five heartbeats, one extremely rapid.” He motioned upwards to a sturdy branch. “Do you think you could see them from up there?”

“Only one way to find out.”

He huffed and she strapped her gun to her back, shaking out her limbs with a wink. This was a tactic they’d employed before especially once she’d started to really show. It would be idiotic to not put her skills to good use simply because she was pregnant and she’d told him as much. Thus a compromise was born. Even with the extra weight Derek could lift her like a feather so it was easy for her to cling onto his back like a baby koala. Once he was sure she was holding on, he leapt high up into the huge tree, using his claws to get a grip and to shimmy them out onto a thick branch. Then it was just a matter of settling.

Derek stayed close with a hand on her shoulder. “I can see them.”

She swung her rifle around and peered through the scope, adjusting it until she could make out a fire and several figures lounging around it. They were drinking and jostling each other with one adding an armful of branches to the dancing flames. “Me too. Four guys and…” She paused, breath catching in her throat. “Holy shit is that a girl hanging from that tree?”

Derek murmured, “It appears to be. They must have caught her and are now amusing themselves.”

_Bastards._ “I should amuse myself by blowing their brains out. How do you wanna handle this?”

“Cora could take them all out on by herself and you could provide back up from here. I’d go but I don’t wanna leave you,” he replied. “As strong as your thighs are one wrong move and…”

“Ha ha.” Lightly she elbowed him in the chest. “But that’s cool. And Cora would never turn down the chance to smash some icky dude’s face in.”

From below Cora was already grinning. Naturally she’d overheard their conversation and was on board. She gave them both two thumbs up and took off through the woods. In seconds she was stepping into the little clearing the guys had made, causing them to jump up and point their guns at her. While Allison couldn’t hear what they were saying she could only imagine Cora was being her smart-assed self considering how the strangers’ expressions kept darkening.

And then one in a red hat made the mistake of grabbing her arm.

Watching Cora punch him in the face so hard that she completely knocked him out was one of the most amusing things Allison had ever seen. The other three immediately converged on her but she made short work of them; breaking bones and noses until they could do nothing but moan and whimper on the cold ground. She then collected their guns and signaled all was clear.

By the time they reached her, she’d already untied the young girl and helped her sit down on a log. “See? Told you everything was going to be okay. I’m Cora and that’s my older brother Derek, his girlfriend Allison and our friend Lydia.”

“I’m—I’m Kira. Kira Yukimura. Where did you guys even come from?”

Cora took off her jacket and wrapped it around Kira’s trembling shoulders. “That’s a bit of a long story. Here let me see your wrists.”

Derek arched a brow and lowered his voice. “She’s not human.”

Allison blinked. “What?”

He nodded. “There is an aura around her, and since she’s doing nothing to hide it I’d wager she probably doesn’t even know about it.”

“What is she? And how would she not know what she is?”

“She’s a Kitsune. A fox. Maybe her family didn’t have a chance to tell her or she was adopted by humans. Or maybe she never manifested her abilities until now. The stress of the end of the world could have triggered her.”

“Jesus that sucks. So what can a Kistune do and should we be worried?”

“There are different kinds but if she was dangerous she would have taken these guys out herself. More likely she’s been experiencing weird shit but with no idea how to control any of it.”

_I can relate. And so can Lydia._

Kira was around their age with long black hair and brown eyes. Her pale skin was stained with dirt and mud, clothes torn in various places. There were bags under her eyes and she looked utterly exhausted, wrists red and rubbed raw from the ropes she’d been tied up with.

_Poor girl._ “How did you end up here?”

“They caught me in a convenient store when I was gathering bags of chips for dinner,” she whispered. “They had guns and I—I was scared they’d shoot me. They made me go into a few places first just in case zombies were around. I was the bait.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Cora shouted in anger. “I should break _more_ of their bones.”

“We’d just raided a liquor store when they decided to camp out here.” Kira wiped hastily at her damp eyes. “I’m pretty sure they were going to—to”

Allison touched her shoulder. “Well you are safe now. C’mon let’s head back to the SUV and leave these assholes to their fate. Hopefully a herd passes through before they can get themselves together.”

=-=

Hours later when the sun finally began to set, they managed to find a dilapidated café sitting alone at a fork in the road leading to a highway. Derek parked close to the front doors, disabling the SUV before joining them inside. They used random old news papers and packing tape to cover the big glass windows while Cora managed to get the gas stove working for a bit of heat. Lydia put out their battery operated lanterns and Derek did a swept to make sure they were undead free. Kira sunk into one of the dusty beige chairs and watched them curiously.

“You guys seem to know what you’re doing.” She cracked a grin. “Are you military?”

“No but my dad was a private contractor…of sorts,” Allison responded. “But yeah we’ve been surviving since this shit hit the fan.”

Kira wet her lips. “Me too. I—my parents were alive for a while but we got into trouble looking for clean water. They—they both got bit and then made a lot of noise so the zombies would keep after them instead of me.”

“I’m so sorry.” Allison pulled out a chair and sat down at the round red table across from her. “I lost my mom before all of this started. My dad and I got separated when there was an earthquake. We’re trying to find the rest of our group.”

“Thank you for taking me in. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t came along.” Kira sighed sadly. “When the news first had reports of strange attacks we all thought it would blow over. Hell they _said_ it would blow over. But it just got worse and soon our town was being evacuated. We bounced around from safe house to safe house until the army and the National Guard were just…gone. Just disappeared or up and left. Then it was every man for himself. We hit the road and kept moving because it seemed safer.”

“Same as us. We lived in a prison for a bit and it was really secure but the earthquake or sinkhole destroyed it.” Allison bit the inside of her cheek. “Now we’re roaming again hoping to run into the rest of our family.”

Kira played with her fingers. “Why did your boyfriend ask me those questions?”

Allison glanced to where Derek was riffling through his backpack. “He wanted to see if you’d lie. We…tend to keep to ourselves because it’s safer. But we didn’t want to just leave you out there with food and water.”

“How could he tell if I was lying?”

“You know what we’ll explain everything later I promise and then _you_ can decide if you want to keep traveling with us.”

Kira snorted. “At this point even if you were in a gang I’d stay. I don’t wanna be alone anymore or end up with more bad people.” Allison chuckled and she continued. “Um so don’t take this the wrong way but are you pregnant? I—I didn’t want to ask in case you weren’t and I made a complete fool of myself and got myself kicked out into the street but—”

Allison chuckled again. “Yes I am pregnant. Not the best time but, eh. We’re rolling with it.”

Kira tilted her head to the side. “I think it’s… Well it’s scary but at the same time kinda…hopeful. Life in the midst of all this death and destruction. Gives you something to hold onto.”

Smoothing a hand across her stomach, Allison nodded rather thoughtfully. “Huh. That it does.”


	2. Festival of Forgotten Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don’t really do banners that much anymore but I went back & added a little mood board for this because I felt like it needed something. :)

Chapter Two: Festival of Forgotten Things

_I wonder how many of these are scattered around the world?_

Sighing deeply, Derek cracked his neck and glanced around at the crowded highway with its wrecked cars and overturned trucks. Highway raiding would never be safe but it was an easy way to find something you could use. Besides when there wasn’t meat around the dead tended to wander off in search of it. Perhaps you’d encounter one or two but running into people while so out in the open would always be the bigger threat when zombies weren’t around. At least that’s how he saw it. For as scary and grotesque as they could be, zombies were single minded creatures with a singular focus. Food. They didn’t hunt you down for revenge or to take something you had; they just wanted to eat because that’s the only part of their brain that still functioned. If they happened along a herd right now—god forbid—he’d know how to handle shit. But if some guy rolled up on a motorcycle spouting peace there was no clean cut line to him being honest. 

So it would be up to Derek to decide…to listen to his heartbeat for lies and then choose whether to believe him or dispose of him. With Kira it was different because even being a Kitsune, she was obviously an innocent. Thrown around and hurt just like they were. More like Parrish than anyone else they’d came across. Though if Allison had wanted to leave her behind he would have because focusing on his own was his top priority. But even with all she’d seen and been through, Allison remained a good person deep down. She wanted to believe in the best in people.

Or maybe she’d just known Kira was _one of them._ She’d fell in with them pretty easily after all. Had taken the news about werewolves in as much stride as someone could though zombies being real probably softened the blow.

_“It’s weird but all I know is that you guys saved my life,”_ she’d said with a little smile. _“You saved me when the humans were going to torture me. I’d like to stay if you’ll have me.”_

Now she was rummaging through one of the stalled cars with Cora and Lydia, pulling clothes out of suitcases and searching for weapons or anything else of use. Perched on the top of a dirty charter bus with her rifle slung across her chest, Allison played lookout so they could search in relative safety. Going up there had been his idea and she’d just been sweet enough to go along. Like usual.

Before falling in love with Allison, before even becoming intimate with her he knew his role as Alpha was to protect those in his Pack. In the beginning that was mostly Boyd and Erica but little by little it started to include Chris and Allison as well. Once he and Allison started sleeping together he tried to pretend it was nothing but he’d never really been the one-night stand type of guy. No to mention falling for her had been easy with the way she treated him. Cared for him. Loved him.

In the past he’d mused that such attachments would make him weak or just be something else to lose but now he knew better. His Pack—his _family_ —made him stronger. Having Allison by his side through all of this bullshit, pushing him and knowing when to pull him back had saved his life one hundred times over. If he believed in any sort of mumbo jumbo he’d consider ending up with an Argent after an _Argent_ destroyed all he once held dear some type of fate. As it was he was just happy to have something real.

_I’m going to be a father._

Sometimes it still hit him like a bullet to the back. Before hearing the heart beat it hadn’t been real and even after, he’d sort of not really been able to fully grasp what it meant. Or unwilling to grasp it. The world was overrun with the returning dead and he’d gone and knocked someone up; how stupid could he be? He should have been more careful or had the willpower to stay away from Allison like he’d previously tried. But no manner of wishful thinking would change anything. And deep down he knew he didn’t want it to.

Life didn’t stop because things were fucked up. If Peter had never coaxed Laura back to Beacon Hills, she would have gone on to establish her own Pack and one day have children. Told them stories about their grandparents and made sure their memories were kept alive. Now that’s what he planned to do.

There was fear—he wasn’t a pompous idiot and his ego had been considerably trimmed—but there was also hope.

Hope that they would find Chris and the others. Hope that they’d find somewhere to settle down. Hope that his kid would grow up to be big and strong.

_Maybe the odds are in our favor. Look what we have survived so far to get us to this point._

Making his way over to the bus, he climbed up onto the hood and glanced around. The cloudless grey sky stretched on for miles and as far as he could tell, there was nothing stirring except them. For once the air didn’t smell like rancid, rotting meat and he decided to take that as a good sign.

“Where do you think all of these people went?” Allison inquired. “Like do you think they saw something that made them run or what?”

“It’s possible,” he replied shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “I think a fire broke out though. A few of the vehicles at the back are torched so maybe they started running thinking there were about to be explosions.”

She hummed. “And then they just kept running. That tracks.”

Derek sat down on top of the bus. “Remember our biggest run in with this type of highway?”

“How could I forget?” She chuckled and plopped down beside him. “It’s when we ran into Stiles and reunited with the others.”

How long had it been since that fateful day? To that point had long had it been since the end of the world? A year? More? Less? Honestly he wasn’t sure. The passage of time had always been different for werewolves because of the aging factor. Though thanks to calendars and clocks they could put names to time.

If he thought about it and attempted to do a bit of math in his head, he figured it had in fact been over a year since Gerard’s psychotic ego condemned them all to their current fate. A year and six months of being on the road and escaping one screwed up situation for another, but he wasn’t willing to be quoted on that of course. A year since finding Peter and being betrayed by him _once again_. Of nearly dying over and over again but also finding joy in the little moments. Feeling safe for a while and managing to get his mother’s claws back.

_Perhaps a year though it has felt like decades._

Finding Stiles had been the beginning of their journey as a group, the beginning of everything changing for better or worse. “You know back then I wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea. We’d functioned as a small unit for so long…”

Allison nodded. “I know what you mean. But it all worked out.” She poked idly at her stomach. “I’ve been thinking about the past too and how different things are. Not just with the dead but…I don’t know. I never expected _any_ of this and sometimes I’ll wake up and it doesn’t seem real. Then the baby will kick me in a kidney.”

His lips curled up into a semblance of a smile. “I don’t think any of us could have seen this coming. I always knew Gerard was an asshole but dooming the whole world? And being completely fine with it?”

She shrugged. “From the bits I learned about him it’s totally in character. Gerard pretended to care about family but he was only ever out for himself. My dad, even Kate were just tools he could use to get what he wanted. To—to be top dog or whatever. He probably thought he could excel in this new world, and let’s be honest he would have.” Reaching down, she tangled their fingers together. “If not for us. If we hadn’t fought back against his bullshit he’d be living like a dystopian King right now. This world is for the monsters and he was the biggest monster there is.”

_What does that say about the rest of the survivors then?_ “Do you think things will ever go back to normal? Traffic lights and the 6pm news on tv? I mean how long can the dead continue when they are literally rotting before our very eyes?”

“Well I think Lydia says although decomposition starts immediately after death, because we’re dealing with magic there is no real way to know how long zombies will be mobile. Technically they shouldn’t even be able to move what with their tendons breaking down. However, if we’re going with the theory that these zombies _need_ food in order to keep going, then at best we can hope they start starving sooner rather than later,” she explained scratching at her neck. “Gerard is dead and he was the cause so maybe the magic died with him, and it just needs time to fade away. However even if the dead stay dead, some people will never be able to go back.”

Derek grunted; those were quite a few maybes but he’d take them over a definite _you are screwed forever_. “How would you feel about perhaps heading up into the mountains? Finding a cabin and building a wall around it. Settling down for a while as safely as we can.”

She arched a brow. “Sounds nice actually. After I give birth we can go back to being a kick ass undead killing team.”

“I think we’re still a kick ass undead killing team. Not like you and that rifle haven’t been pulling your weight.”

“True. But it’s different being in the thick of things with you. Fighting literally back to back…driving my daggers into the skull of anything that comes near you.”

“Sounds like you miss the adrenaline rush.”

“I miss not carrying the extra weight.”

He laughed and she continued with a snicker. “I don’t know I just—I don’t feel my optimal self like this. I’m not as fast or as light footed, things ache and I know you saw me crying over those mashed potatoes the other day.”

_Well…_ “I wasn’t going to mention it. Still Allison you’re carrying your pregnancy very well. When my mom was pregnant with Cora she felt similar to how you did. She was a bit older and tensions with other Packs were starting to raise to a small boil. As Alpha it was her job to protect us and yet she felt like she couldn’t because it wasn’t like she could just challenge someone to a fight. But she had my dad and the rest of us to help her. And you have me. And Cora and Lydia…I think even Kira would help to the best of her ability. Besides you’re an _Argent_ and as cliché as it sounds you’re not like a regular woman. You’re a Hunter.”

Allison exhaled deeply, brown eyes staring off into the distance. “I am my mother’s daughter. As much as I hate Gerard and Kate…they did teach me valuable lessons about strength and endurance. My mom was a bitch but she was a bad bitch, and I’m sure she would be going through all of this like it’s nothing.” And then she was frowning. “I’ll never understand why she chose death over being a wolf. Yeah it was a part of some stupid ass code but it doesn’t make sense to me. I can’t decide if it makes her strong for going out with her convictions or weak for giving up. Gerard didn’t _bow out_ like the code said he was supposed to. Hell he wanted to become an Alpha. If you had to turn me I—I think it’d like that. Or at the very least be okay with it. I certainly wouldn’t leave our kid without a mom because of it.”

When Derek had bit Victoria to save Scott he’d known exactly what he was doing. Though at the time it had been less about _sticking it to the Argents_ and more about using whatever weapon he had to make sure he and Scott made it out of that room alive. He couldn’t say whether he’d honestly expected her to live as a wolf or not. Chances are she might not have turned at all. In all honesty Victoria would have made an extremely formidable wolf. She was calculating and manipulative in ways that would have put even Peter to shame. The landscape of their lives would look very different had she refused their honor code.

_I’d probably be dead._ “Victoria believed in the code in a way that some Hunters just do. Faithfully. Scott was innocent but she saw him as a threat to you so…” He shook his head. “In any case biting you to save you would be a no brainer for me. I just hope it would take.”

Allison fiddled with the scope on her rifle. “Mm. Sometimes I feel like I have lived several lifetimes. Jumping from school to school before finally settling in Beacon Hills. Thinking things were finally going to be normal and then learning about the supernatural. Going from hating you to loving you…” Ducking her head, she looked up at him through her long lashes. “This time next year I could be with Kira.”

Derek laughed, his smile lighting up his entire face. “If that’s what you wanted I would graciously stand aside.”

“Really?”

“Of course not. That’s not me.”

Giggling, Allison stretched out her legs and shook her ankles. “I really love you Derek. Whenever I wanted to give up or sink into darkness, I was able to draw strength from you and it made all the difference. You’ve been…such a lifeline through all of this bullshit. Honestly even though we have been together for a while, and are having a freaking kid, I still feel a bit guilty.” She looked up at the sky. “Because of what happened with Kate. I know it had nothing to do with _me_ but it’s my family. It’s a part of my fucked up legacy.”

“It is what it is. You’re not Kate and I’m not the same Derek I was back in. I’ve been trusting you and your father with my life for a long time now, and it’s not something I’ve ever regretted. Being with you is not something I have ever regretted.” Wetting his lips, he continued. “You’ve saved me in more ways than one. This isn’t where I thought I’d be back when I was trying to convince Scott to join me, but I’m pretty sure it’s where I _need_ to be. More importantly it’s where I _want_ to be.”

With a soft smile she leaned over and kissed him, pressing her lips to his. “So. Daddy Derek. You ready for it?”

It was a question he’d been asking himself a lot since seeing that nebulous red blob while trying to find Boyd and Erica. If he were ready for fatherhood. Technically he supposed it didn’t matter if he were ready or not because it was happening either way. Barring any complications his child was going to come roaring into the world, and it would be up to him to make sure he or she was protected. After everything he did feel he was more prepared to tackle being a dad.

Whatever that meant of course.

“I’m…excited but also a little terrified,” he admitted. “Not because of the dead though naturally they are never far from my mind. But what about the other parts? Shaping a kid to be their best self or whatever. I didn’t have my dad for as long as I’d have liked, but he taught me a lot about being a man. Unfortunately, there was a point where I didn’t put those lessons to good use.”

“Yeah but you knew you were loved and that’s what is most important.” Allison reached up and touched his face. “Besides shit was at level ten back then, and from what I hear before Laura was lured back to Beacon Hills you were doing things differently. Being normal. Naturally I have my reservations about bringing a child into a world where zombies are a thing, but it’s not like the world was safe beforehand. Wolves, Hunters, kanimas, serial killers…” Idly she pointed out across the way. “The dead are just icing on an already full cake. Luckily we know how to handle ourselves. And I have no doubt that you’re gonna teach our baby to be strong and kind, and just a little bit stubborn.”

_True._ “I’m going to do my best.”

She rested her chin onto his shoulder. “That’s all any of us can do. Switching gears however…you said Kira is a Kitsune. Should we tell her or what? She did take the werewolf thing pretty well and it might make her feel better to know she has a power of her own.”

Derek looked down to where Kira was lining up bottles of unopened water onto the hood of an old station wagon. “It would make sense to at least make her aware of what she is, though naturally Deaton probably would be better at explaining. I don’t know a lot about Kitsunes but I do know there are thirteen different types and not all of them are…friendly. Though I think if Kira were a _Kukan_ —which basically means Void—she would have fucked those guys up.”

A tiny frown appeared between Allison’s dark brows. “What do you see when you look at her? You said there was an aura…”

He nodded. “I see the outline of a fox in bright orange or yellowish orange. Little ears and everything. Most are taught how to hide it when they come of age for their own protection.”

“Stuff like this really makes me miss my family’s bestiary.” She shifted from side to side before taking his hand and placing it on her stomach, presumably to feel the baby moving. “And dad. I wonder if he knows anything about Kitsune?”

“We can ask him when we find him.” He kissed her temple. “Are you hungry? I know Cora hid some snack bars in her bag.”

At the mention of her name—even with his voice lowered—Cora glanced up at them. “Just because you knocked her up doesn’t mean I have to give her my snacks,” she said matter of fact.

Derek smirked. “Hey if you want your niece or nephew to starve…”

“Ugh,” she huffed. “Nice to see you’re still a dick, big bro. Fine if Allison _needs_ one then she can have one.”

Kira giggled. “Have you guys been together long? As a group and stuff?”

Lydia rounded a dirty Nissan. “Feels like we’ve known each other forever to be honest. We’re all from Beacon Hills.”

Kira blinked. “Wait Beacon Hills? I—before all of this happened we were going to move there. My dad got a teaching job at the high school and he was supposed to start after summer vacation. But then, well everything went to shit.”

Derek stood and walked over to the side of the bus, stepping off to land easily on the hard concrete. “Maybe you should count your blessings that you never made it. All of this started in Beacon Hills.” He folded his arms across his broad chest. “I can tell you the story if you really wanna hear it.”

“I do.”

Derek looked at the girls, judging their open expressions before he continued. “Beacon Hills was a bit of a flashing flare for the supernatural. Lydia, Cora and I grew up there for the most part. Allison and her family had always been connected to the area but they moved there officially a few years ago. Anyway this…plague started there.”

Kira tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean it _started there_?”

“My grandfather was patient zero.” Allison carefully made her way onto the hood of the bus and sat down, sliding off over the fender and into Derek’s awaiting arms. “He was a Hunter like me—well not like me. My dad and I have a code; _Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent_. We hunt those who hunt us. Anyway Gerard—my grandfather—had cancer and he decided the best way to cure it was to be bit by a werewolf. To become an Alpha.” Rolling her eyes, she pressed her cheek against Derek’s chest. “Let’s just say he was outsmarted and in the end...I guess to get back at everyone he started the zombie apocalypse.”

“Whoa,” Kira gasped. “Wh—where is he now?”

“Dead,” Allison replied without inflection. “His hatred screwed up the world and even though I had nothing to do with it…I still feel guilty because we share the same last name. I worry about what could happen if others knew—others in our circle. Other Hunters or other werewolves.”

“Thank you for telling me. I understand what a big deal this is,” Kira said. “I honestly don’t know if I should be thankful we never made it to Beacon Hills or sad. I—I mean maybe if we had you guys would have saved us and then my parents would still be alive.”

Cora reached over and squeezed Kira’s arm. “Unfortunately no one knows how this shit would have played out. But you’re here with us now and I think your parents would be proud with how you’ve survived. And now you’re with us and we take care of each other.”

Kira offered up a small smile. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

Lydia snorted lightly and held up her arm with the amputated hand. “I’m missing a hand and yet I do not think of myself as a burden at all. I contribute and so do you. So _will_ you. Even if it’s just helping to keep things organized.”

Kira nodded with a bit more confidence. “I can do that.”

While it was common sense to tell Kira about her powers, Derek decided to wait a couple of days until she had fully absorbed the information she’d been given about Gerard. There was no need to weigh her down with yet another life changing revelation. Not yet anyway.

_I hope she takes it well._

=-=

Derek leaned against the side of the Tahoe and scratched at the side of his face, dark brown eyes idly surveying the area they’d happened across. It was always sad to run across a leftover remnant of a world that no longer existed. Different from the burnt out towns and trashed neighborhoods; these phantoms were literal pieces of life that were the very picture of normal…until they weren’t. And they could be anything these days. 

A tilted kid’s lemonade stand with a dirty pitcher of lemonade still on top. A crumbled sign for a yard sale hanging haphazardly from a telephone pole. Or in this case the remains of a county fair, filthy tents and all. There was even a rusty ferris wheel and tiny booths that once held hot dogs and funnel cakes.

“Oh wow! This is so strange. When I was with my mom and dad we didn’t really venture out a lot. Not until our safe houses were destroyed but even then we sort of…kept to the woods. Just seemed safer.” Kira tightened her grip on the machete in her hand. “I used to love going to fairs and festivals with my parents though. We’d eat too much cotton candy and my dad would spend so much money trying to win one of those silly teddy bears. He had no eye for aiming but my mom was pretty good at it.”

“Surprised a storm hasn’t torn it all down.” Cora slipped her long auburn hair up into a perky ponytail. “Think anything of use is down there?”

Derek squinted. “I can see a few walkers with weapons on their backs. Soldiers most like. We could try for them though I don’t know if they are worth it. We don’t want to get cornered.”

His sister shrugged. “I don’t hear like a lot of shuffling footsteps. We could clean this place out if need be. Lydia?”

At the sound of her name, Lydia licked her lips and sniffed. “I’m not getting any scary vibes. There are zombies but I think that’s probably true of most places these days.”

Allison shrugged into a coat that was too big for her. “There is a fence around the area starting over there.” She pointed to the right. “It’s not super secure but I think it kept most of the dead out. Looks like this place was used as a storage facility maybe. I could see the army stashing stuff here—last place anyone would look.”

Derek grunted. “You think we should check it out?”

Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she grinned. “I kinda want to. Plus, that building might have cool stuff in it.”

“Fine. But at the first sign of trouble we’re gone.”

“Yes sir.”

He flipped her the bird, made sure his SIG Sauer was tucked into the band of his jeans for easy access and then grabbed up his metal baseball bat. “Kira stay close to Cora and Lydia. Don’t panic if a walker gets too friendly; you’re safe with us.”

Kira swallowed hard before planting her feet. “I’m okay. I feel better now that I have a weapon.”

Allison clicked the safety off her rifle. “Remember to aim for the head. Or chop their legs off, that works too.”

Together they left the SUV and all made their way through the tall grass towards the rickety chain link fence that was sunk inward, as if something heavy had been pushing against it. Instead of tucking it in more, Derek curled up a section from the bottom and left it just in case they needed to make a quick getaway. As usual he and Cora moved forward to kill any walkers that shuffled their way but oddly enough there seemed to be only a few wandering around.

_There should be more. This is a pretty open area and with that bit of fence caved in…_

“Do you guys explore like this a lot?” Kira asked softly.

“Kind of,” Allison replied slowly. “The only way to find supplies is to go looking for them. When we were at the prison we always knew that eventually we’d have to start going further and further out to find stuff once we’d picked an area clean. None of us were looking forward to it but…it’s life now.”

Kira smoothed a hand across her face. “I’m sort of surprised that I’m still alive. Also don’t understand why.”

Allison’s expression softened. “Maybe you have a purpose. Or maybe you’re just stronger than you think you are. Either way don’t feel bad if you’ve ever thought about giving up. Considering everything that is going on I think it’s ran cross all of our minds once or twice. But we are here, and no matter how fucked up shit gets I’m gonna keep fighting to be here. If I just—just _stopped_ it would be like letting Gerard win. He thought I was weak. He thought he could control me.” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “Every breath I take is a fuck you to him. I’m not much for revenge anymore but it’s nice to remember how he didn’t win. Not really.”

“Is hating werewolves like a thing?”

Allison huffed. “For some Hunters? Yes. Everyone has their own set of rules when it comes to the supernatural. Or things they don’t understand in general. _I_ …accepted the news of supernatural creatures pretty gracefully. I’ve dated two werewolves heh.”

Kira was amused. “Your story would make a pretty cool movie. Fearless Huntress falls in love with the very thing she’s supposed to hunt. I would have saw it.”

Cora snickered and thrust her fire poker through the head of a bald walker whose mouth was freshly red. “Bet it would have sucked,” she teased as the zombie crashed to the ground. “C’mon let’s check out the bottle toss.”

Derek shook his head, arching a brow at the sight of Allison having drifted over to an already dead walker. It was a man at some point but now it looked more like shredded beef; its limbs splayed out like a starfish

“What’s wrong?” He stepped up beside her and knelt down. “It’s throat has been ripped out.”

She nodded. “Severed the spinal cord clean through. But…those aren’t from a wolf’s claws.”

_No. No they aren’t._ “Good eye. Could have been a bob cat. Zombie could have attacked it and it defended itself…”

“It’s too precise.” Allison exhaled deeply. “Whoever did this knew what they were aiming for. What else could be out here?”

Standing, Derek blinked slowly as the Alpha inside of him rose to the forefront, casting his eyes in red. He glanced around the fairgrounds searching for another living person that wasn’t in his group, ears isolating every sound that wasn’t the beating of a heart. It took a few moments of concentrating but little by little what sounded like a humming bird beating its wings grew louder and louder. Allison and the others—even while dealing with zombies—tended to have pretty normal heartbeats. Even Kira now that she was with them. This one however was fast paced; a deep _thump thump_ like the bass in a rock song.

“Whatever or whoever they are, they’re in there.” He pointed to a squared shaped metal booth with _Refreshments_ written on the side in playful script. “Not sure what shape they are in though. Several of these walkers had fresh blood on their mouths so…”

“They could be injured,” Allison whispered. “I almost think I prefer that considering what they did to that guy. If they’re hostile, then at least they’ll be easier to take down if they are hurt. And if they’re not then maybe we can help.”

Derek rolled his shoulders. “Alright. Let’s go check it out.” 

With Allison trailing closely behind they started for the booth. He caught Cora’s eyes halfway and vaguely motioned for her to keep watch, receiving a nod to let him know she understood. He picked up a twisted piece of steel that looked to have fallen off one of the rusted carnival rides and upon reaching the stand, gave the side a heavy tap. The sound echoed across the field but thankfully didn’t attract anything unsavory.

From inside the cramped space Derek could hear movement and quiet grunts. A bloody hand slapped down onto the dirty counter, leaving a smeared handprint as whoever slowly pulled themselves up into view.

A head with matted, filthy hair popped up first but when Derek caught sight of familiar eyes he actually took a step back. It was a completely uncontrollable reflex; one he honestly didn’t know he was still capable of. But the shock was enough to grip his limbs and get them to move of their own volition. 

Allison—whose face had drained of what little color it managed to have—immediately pointed her rifle at the figure. _“What the fuck?”_

The person looked up at them, took them in and then started to cackle loudly. “Well well ain’t this a surprise…”

Allison glared. “What the hell are you doing here? _Why_ are you even still alive! We saw you die. Peter ripped your throat out!”

Kate Argent smiled widely, face covered in a layer of dirt and grime. “Oh my sweet Ali, have I got a story for you.”


	3. Les péchés de la tante

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I was hoping to have this done before the New Year but you can’t account for the future unfortunately. If you guys remember my dad has been having some health issues & towards the end of last year they got really bad. Like…time to just basically make him comfortable, bad. I’m doing okay though; sad naturally but I take a bit of solace in being able to prepare. Writing & gaming help so…here’s an update. I still plan to finish this in 6 chapters if I can though. It’s all plotted out thanks to my Beta & I’m excited to bring the whole saga to an end. Did you guys know I started this series in 2014 lol? I outlasted the show! xD 
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy this update AND if you haven’t already, PLEASE go check out the amazing video Seph Meadowes made of this series https://youtu.be/rKiZ05GBeNA & give her all of the love for it! <3

Chapter Three: Les péchés de la tante

Although it had been quite a long time, Allison could still remember when she’d actually loved her Aunt. When she’d respected her and wanted to be just like her, because no one was cooler than Aunt Kate. She’d always seemed to live by her own rules and not take shit from anyone. For someone like Allison—who’d been slightly timid and withdrawn in the midst of such strong personalities—Kate’s devil may care attitude had been the pinnacle of badassery. And of course she’d listened when Allison had talked; had never treated her like some dumb kid.

That night as Kate pulled back the supernatural curtain, Allison had been terrified but little by little that terror had morphed into anger. How _dare_ everyone keep such a big secret from her? How _dare_ they think she was too weak, too fragile to handle it? Obviously only Kate had her best interest at heart if she was spilling the beans, right? It really said something about the conditioning going on that she’d watched Derek get fucking tortured and brushed off the ethics about it because Kate had told her she should.

 _“To me, he’s just another dumb animal,”_ she’d snickered while fiddling with the dial that controlled the electric currents racing through his limbs.

Derek had been in pain. He’d been shot, chained up by a crazy person and all Allison had thought about was _how could no one tell me about this?_ To this day she still had lingering guilt over her part in not only how Gerard had behaved but also for following Kate like a lost puppy for the short time she’d done it. Yeah she could come up with excuses but why bother? Better to accept her role in the fucked up situations and attempt to heal the rifts, rather than look for a way out.

Shaking her head, she kept her rifle trained on Kate and inched in front of Derek so that he was more or less behind her. Derek was often fearless in the face of whatever the world threw at them, but even he had a breaking point. Coming face to face with the woman who’d murdered his family and (on some level) assaulted him? No one would judge him for however he felt. In fact, now her job was to protect him and she was going to make sure she continued to do a damn good job of it.

“If I’m being honest, I don’t really give a fuck about anything you have to say,” Allison said evenly. “Not anymore.”

Kate chuckled, her pink lips dry and cracked. “Language now missy. You kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Allison arched a brow and gave Kate the once over, eyes jumping from the bite wounds on her shoulder and arm. “My mother is dead. And you don’t look too far off from joining her.”

With a grunt Kate leveled herself up onto the shaky counter and over, tumbling to the ground with a low _oof_. She’d obviously been out in the elements a long time if her appearance was anything to go by. Dirt was caked not only to her clothes but her skin as well, making her look like a deranged wildling. It was a far cry from the tight skinny jeans and tank tops she used to wear.

“Well considering how I looked the last time you saw me; this is probably an upgrade.” Her blue eyes shifted to Derek as she rolled onto all fours. “Why is _he_ here? Out and about taking in the mess his kind has made of the world?”

Derek—having regained a bit of his composure—folded his arms across his chest. “You have an Argent to thank for all of this. Namely your father.”

Kate snorted. “Right. Sure.”

Allison nodded. “He’s telling the truth. After you _died_ Gerard showed up in Beacon Hills for your funeral and made a total mess of everything. He’s basically why my mom is dead. And he’s one hundred percent the reason why the fucking dead are walking around.” An odd sense of glee tickled her chest as she kept speaking. “Did you know he was dying? Cancer. Terminal. But as the asshole he was he came up with a plan to beat it…namely being bit by a wolf and stealing an Alpha’s powers.”

Kate frowned and pointed a finger at her. “You’re lying. Gerard Argent would never willingly become one of these—one of these animals. Our code—”

“Gerard didn’t give a shit about your _code_ , at least not when it came to himself. I was there when he forced Derek to bite him so that he’d turn into a wolf.” Allison exhaled deeply at the memories. “Luckily Scott and Deaton had outsmarted him and the only thing he got was a bite and a body full of mountain ash. I guess the mountain ash somehow negated whatever turns someone into a wolf. Thankfully.”

“Scott,” Kate cursed, spitting his name out as if it tasted foul. “I should have known! Where is he? Where is my dad now?”

“Dead.” Allison cut her eyes to Derek. “Zombies got the jump on him and ripped him to shreds. After all the shit he’s done it was a pretty poetic way for him to go out. Not to mention brutal.”

“You seem to be taking some odd pleasure in this.” Sitting back on her ass, Kate gestured to her. “Since when did you sell out your own family? And does it have anything to do with you being with this asshole?”

Allison knew she didn’t owe Kate any explanations but a part of her wanted to reveal everything. Just punch her in the stomach repeatedly with facts. “A lot has changed since you _didn’t_ die. Some—”

“Why aren’t you dead?” Derek interrupted with a scowl. “Peter ripped your throat out.”

Kate flashed him a grin. “C’mon Derek. You mean to tell me you don’t know what happens when an Alpha’s claws go too deep? I woke up in some shitty cold storage area with a bunch of Hunters glaring down at me. Don’t know how they got me—guess they took my body from the hospital—but anyway they expected me to off myself. Left me a razor to do it with and everything.”

Derek rolled his shoulders. “And let me guess. You refused to die just like your shit stain of a father.”

Kate didn’t reply but suddenly Allison’s attention was drawn to the walker they’d found before, the one that had been shredded. “You did that, didn’t you? With your _claws_? What are you?”

“Fuck if I know!” Kate exclaimed with a laugh. “Don’t got daddy’s bestiary on hand. But what do they say? You take the form of what you are or some nonsense like that. It’s feline…”

For months after Kate’s death, Allison had nightmares about it that would leave her in a cold sweat. She’d see her Aunt’s body falling to the floor of Derek’s destroyed childhood home as if in slow motion, gaping wounds slashed across her throat. Knowing it was because she’d burned an entire family alive without remorse, and years later still couldn’t muster up a convincing apology. The worst part however was understanding that on some level, she’d deserved her fate.

 _I can’t believe I used to look up to this woman._ “But you’re not healing so I suppose that means you’ve suffered too many bites.”

Kate squinted at her. “Looks like you’ve got it all figured out. Honestly I’m almost proud. Nice to see you finally grew up. Grew a backbone.”

_“They don’t think that you can handle it. They look at you and they see this frightened little girl who’s gonna run crying in the corner when she finds out the truth. Me? What do I see? Natural talent. Allison, you said you wanted to feel more powerful, right? Now’s your chance.”_

_And I’d believed her._ “I found my place in this world, and I did it without killing any innocent people. You know I could almost feel sorry for you. Gerard probably fucked you up and filled your head with all sorts of things; he nearly did that to me too. But after a while you have to stop making excuses and take responsibility for the shit you’re doing. My dad is proof you could have chosen another way.”

“Where is Chris anyway? Dead? Is that why you’re slumming it with my leftovers?”

Allison sighed and lowered her gun. “I’m with Derek because I’m part of his Pack. Scott, Stiles, Lydia—we’re all a part of Derek’s Pack. Even dad. Because when the dead started creeping around, no one gave a shit about werewolves and Hunters.” She entwined her fingers with Derek’s. “We’re all a family now.”

“Ah Allison, Allison, Allison,” Kate said with disappointment. “I haven’t the best handle on all of my new senses but even I can tell you smell like him. I just thought I was wrong. Or at the very least that you were like, fuck buddies or something. I mean he was always good for that. But it’s more isn’t it? Your dumbass went and fell for _another_ stupid animal. Trading up to an Alpha doesn’t make it any better.”

She couldn’t stop herself from bristling. “Derek has more humanity in his big toe than you have in your entire body. But I don’t need to defend him to some psycho that doesn’t matter anymore. Enjoy whatever time you have left, Kate. We’re out of here.”

Kate struggled to stand up, jeans and jacket torn in various places. “Who the hell do you think you are? What? You fuck a couple of werewolves and suddenly you think you’re a woman? You honestly can’t tell that he’s just _using_ you to stay alive? Did seeing him interact with Scott teach you nothing!”

Allison rolled her eyes. “You don’t know anything about anything anymore, and I’m not sure you ever did. Your hatred has always blinded you and it’s sad to see that nothing has changed. You’re some kind of werecat or whatever, and yet you’re still acting like a Hunter. A bad one at that. Maybe if you’d ever snapped out of it you wouldn’t be about to die all alone.”

“God you’re such a disappointment,” Kate snapped. “Victoria must be rolling over in her grave at what you’ve become.”

Derek scoffed. “Resulting to that kind of bullshit? Nice. You’re so bitter I’m surprised any walkers wanted to bite you. At least they’ve done the world a favor by getting rid of you however.”

“Fuck you, Derek!” She shouted as her face began to contort into something inhuman. “I should have killed you back when I had the chance! A mistake I won’t make again!”

Derek started to shift as well, eyes red and fangs lengthening. Kate clearly wasn’t a wolf but Allison couldn’t help but get flashes of what previously happened with Kali, and it made her heart pound in her chest. She jerked her rifle up and pointed it Kate’s forehead, finger hovering over the trigger. By now they had attracted the attention of the others, and if Cora’s expression was anything to go by she was spoiling for a fight.

“You won’t shoot me,” Kate replied confidently. “You don’t have it in you.”

“Tell that to Gerard,” Allison responded defiantly. “I didn’t shoot him but I did help usher him off this mortal coil. I’m not about to let anyone or anything hurt Derek. I love him.”

Kate’s face—now covered in black spots and black stripes—managed to distort even more but this time in fury. Without saying anything else she lunged forward, shoving Allison violently to the side. Allison yelped as she felt herself falling and tried to twist around so that she would land on her back and not her stomach. Right before she hit the ground she came up short with a jolt, her hands flying out to cushion the rest of her descent which was nothing more than an inch or two. She heard a deep grunt behind her and rolled onto her side to see Kate tearing into Derek’s chest; he’d left himself open and vulnerable to attack so that he could stop her fall.

With a yell Cora charged over and leapt onto Kate’s back, sinking her claws into her shoulders, right into a deep bite wound. Kate cried out and tried to throw her off, flailing this way and that before being kicked hard in the stomach by Derek. Momentum drove Kate backwards to the point where Cora was able to body slam her violently into the dirt.

Allison scrambled for her gun and shot without a second thought, a .243 caliber bullet hitting Kate in the knee. Kate screamed in pain and immediately grabbed at her knee, her hands becoming soaked with bright red blood. “Fuck!” she growled. “You fucking shot me!”

“You’re lucky I didn’t aim for your head,” Allison said as Derek helped her up. She touched his bleeding chest, checking to see if the gashes went deep. “Are you okay? Lift up your shirt and let me see.”

He patted at her hand. “I’m fine, I’ll heal.”

Cora dragged a hand across her mouth. “So this is the bitch that killed mom and dad, huh? _Please_ tell me we are going to rip her head off and kick it across the field. She needs to die for what she’s done!”

Derek’s eye twitched. “I think that’s Allison’s call…”

Allison shook her head. “No, she hasn’t hurt me nearly as much as she hurt you two. And besides I—I agree with Cora. The time for redemption or mercy expired a long time ago. We can’t keep people around who just want to murder us.”

Kate groaned, glowing green eyes wide and manic. “Yo—you sound just like your de—dear ole grandpa. And fuck another Hale survived? Bad enough two managed to escape.”

Cora reached for her but Derek gently pulled her back. “She’s just trying to get under your skin.”

Suddenly tired, Allison flipped her long dark hair out of her face and really looked at her Aunt. It was easier to hope that she’d never honestly known Kate instead of thinking there actually were two sides to her. That she could be a loving family member but also a complete and utter lunatic, incapable of feeling empathy towards anyone not human. Did she hate herself now just as much for what she’d become? Or was she just a carbon copy of Gerard, saying one thing while doing the opposite?

_It seems in the end the only person who actually believed in the code was my mom. Not sure how I feel about that._

“Five escaped. Technically.”

“Well there was a whole litter. Peter about to pop up from the dead and lecture me too?” Kate inquired as her face went back to normal.

“He would if we hadn’t already killed him for working with Gerard.” Allison smiled, saccharine sweet. “It’s funny. You and Gerard tried so hard to destroy one family simply because they were different. I know you both had a hard on for going after wolves, but you made it personal when it came to the Hales. And you both nearly roped me into your weird vendetta. Luckily however I won’t have to tell my kid _anything_ about _any_ of this. All they’ll know is that their parents fell in love—despite the odds—and they were born out of that love.”

The blood loss and whatever zombie taint bites contained apparently made Kate a bit slower than usual because for a moment she just blinked in confusion. However, when the words sunk in and things actually clicked, she bared her teeth in a rough snarl. “You stupid, stupid girl! You’re _breeding_ with them now?! Tainting the Argent bloodline! Do you have any idea how far back our lineage goes? How many generations of Hunters we’ve spawned! Proud men and women who’ve died so that you could—”

_Bang!_

Another bullet to Kate’s other knee, launching with so much force that it shattered the bone. “FUCK!” she shrieked. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“Guys!” Lydia sprinted over with Kira close behind. “The—they’re coming! We have to go! We have to go now!”

No sooner than the words were out of Lydia’s mouth that the dead appeared out of the tree line, shuffling and falling all over each other as they crept closer and closer, pushing against the flimsy fence until it buckled. It wasn’t a full-fledged herd but it was more than they would want to tangle with.

“C’mon let’s get to the truck,” Derek said backing up.

“Allison!” Kate shouted. “Allison you can’t just leave me here! We’re family! We’re family goddamn it!”

Allison let Derek pull her behind him. “I have a new family now.”

As Kate cursed her ever being born the first walker—a young boy no more than sixteen and missing his right arm—fell onto her, sinking his teeth into the juncture where neck met shoulder. He ripped out a stringy plug of flesh and Kate vomited up dark red blood, trying in vain to punch him off of her. A second walker and then a third reached her within seconds, tearing at any part of her that they could reach. Tore off an ear. Split open the delicate skin of her stomach with their grubby fingers so that they could dig inside. With a weak gurgle and twitch, Kate spasmed a few times before being swallowed up by more of the undead.

_There is no way she can survive that._

Allison didn’t have time to sort out her feelings as they hurried towards the part of the fence Derek had rolled up. One by one they slipped through and booked it to the SUV; the sounds of the dead seemingly echoing all around them.

=-=

“I’ve never been inside of a casino before. Too bad none of the machines work.”

Allison rubbed the back of her neck and turned in her seat, resting her head to the large headrest. She flashed Kira a tired smile. “Right? Would be nice to mindlessly play with a few.”

Lydia smiled from her place slouched against Cora’s side. “I might be able to rig something up if Derek and Cora don’t mind pushing one of those abandoned cars closer. You can do a lot with a car battery if it’s not depleted.”

Cora snorted. “At this point I’m up for anything.”

The driver side door opened and Derek poked his head in. “Place is clear. The gate was down so nothing got in and there aren’t any windows so we should be fine.” He blinked. “And yeah I can push that small Toyota closer.”

As Derek and Cora headed towards the Toyota, Allison, Kira and Lydia made their way inside of the medium sized casino. Even without power it was still pretty cool looking; its fancy machines silent and covered with a layer of dust. The bar was to the left and to the right was a circular lounge of long leather chairs. Nothing was really out of place so Allison couldn’t help but wonder had it been shut down when shit hit the fan? Or was it just the last place anyone thought to go?

With a sigh she stretched out onto the first couch she came to, body sinking into the soft spongy cushions. After leaving the fairgrounds they’d just drove around in silence for a while, looking for a suitable place to hunker down for the night. She’d assumed she’d be more…haunted at what happened to Kate but to be honest, she wasn’t. Perhaps before but not now. Not after Gerard’s mind games and being on the road with Derek and his Pack. Not after the farmhouse and the prison and finally returning to Beacon Hills only to run into Deucalion and his ilk. Family wasn’t always blood, and real family would never want to see you hurt or try to manipulate you. The most Allison felt she could do was mourn the person she thought Kate was. That would have to be enough.

“Okay we’re all set for tonight. Lydia the cables you wanted are laying near the door. I already put the gate down so I hope you can do the rest inside.” Derek thumbed behind him as he strolled over. “Wouldn’t want a walker throwing itself through the glass.”

Lydia nodded and finished up lighting a few candles and setting out their battery powered lanterns. “I’ll get to work then.”

Cora grabbed Kira’s wrist and pulled. “We’ll join you and give the lovebirds some time alone.”

Allison grinned and watched them go. “My feet hurt.”

Derek sat down beside her and slipped off her boots, placing her dainty feet in his lap. “You okay?”

She stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah. I can’t believe Kate’s been alive all this time. And that she was a freaking were whatever. Thank god we didn’t run into her before now. Thank god she wasn’t like, with Gerard and Peter.”

He hummed and soothingly rubbed at the soles of her feet. “In the past Gerard would have never worked with a were—not even his own kin—but he probably would have used her this time around to meet his own ends. Like an attack dog he could send after people.”

“I could see that,” she moaned happily, wiggling her toes. “She’d have thought he’d accepted her and instead she would have been nothing more than a tool to him. I’m glad she’s dead and I feel bad about it.”

“Of course you do because you’re a good person,” he replied. “But her death was her own fault.”

“Have you healed yet from where she cut you?” Allison looked at him. “Why didn’t you fight back?”

Derek arched a brow. “I think you know the answer to that question. You would have fallen too hard and possibly hurt the baby. I knew I would heal and yeah, I have healed. This wasn’t me slipping back into self-sacrificing mode. It was me keeping you safe like I’ve always promised to do.”

Allison touched her stomach. “I’m glad she wasn’t an Alpha or you’d be in a world of pain right now. Christ.” Her head lolled to the side. “How are these our lives right now? Squatting in an abandoned casino while dead things creep around outside? I’m gonna have a _freaking_ baby and our friends are just out there somewhere. Why did we have to lose the prison? For that matter why did Peter have to be such a dick and blow up the school? Why can’t we have a home again?”

“Hey…” Derek reached over and squeezed her fingers. “I know it doesn’t seem like it but everything is going to be okay. Your dad—the rest of our Pack is alive and that means something. It might take a while to find them but at least we know they’re out there.”

“Them and god only knows what else.” Sniffling, she quickly wiped at her wet eyes and tried to pull herself together.

“It’s okay. Today was… _a lot_.”

She snorted humorlessly. “That’s putting it mildly. You know it’s so strange…seeing Kate today made me think of that night under your house. When she first explained to me about werewolves and everything. How she wanted me to hate you because she hated you. I’ll always wonder if it was actually that black and white.”

Derek cut his eyes to her. “What else could it have been? If you’re implying that Kate has some type of…latent feelings for me then you’d be wrong. Everything she did was calculating and manipulative so that she could reach her end goal. Laura, Cora and I were supposed to die in that fire. It’s pure luck that we didn’t.”

“Did _you_ love _her_?”

“No. At the time I might have thought I did but it wasn’t real. I was vulnerable because of Paige and Kate took advantage of that.”

Allison shifted until she was sitting up and close enough to Derek to touch. She ran her fingers through his hair and then kissed him, smiling as he kissed her back. It was just supposed to be sweet and reassuring but much like the act that had started their relationship so many moons ago, it morphed into something else. Something hot and a little rushed.

Between one breath and the next Derek had her naked from the waist down. He chuckled at her light squawk of surprise, tossing her flannel shirt to the floor and pushing up the material of her sports bra. His hands were gentle as he touched her; as he cupped her breasts and slipped his fingers between her spread thighs. She shuddered, clutched his broad shoulders and whispered his name when his beard tickled the soft skin of her neck. Her whole body felt almost too sensitive, too keyed up. With fumbling hands, she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled, jerking it up and over his head.

“Wh—what—the others,” she gasped as his thumb danced circles around her clit. 

“Basement. Looking for supplies.” He blew warm air across her nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

“Then…we shouldn’t waste any time.” Smiling, she raked her nails down his back hard enough to leave marks.

Derek growled lowly—and it had long tripped into sexy territory for her—making short work of getting his jeans and boxer-briefs down to his knees. With one smooth motion Allison lowered herself down onto him, making them both moan. Since getting knocked up the sex hadn’t stopped but it had slowed down a bit because of other factors. Being a part of a smaller group, not wanting to be disrespectful to them, etc. But as with most things Derek did, when they were together he made sure that she knew just how sexy he still thought she was. His kisses weren’t any less passionate, his thrusts any less powerful. He took her like she was made only for him, and she enjoyed every single moment of it.

Keeping with the theme of being quick so as not to blind the others, it didn’t take long for the friction and Derek driving up inside of her to take their pleasant toll. Allison came in the shelter of his strong arms, her hands gripping his wrists as she continued to grind her hips down onto him, panting loudly. Derek followed seconds later with a low grunt; his face pressed against the hollow of her sweaty neck.

“I love you, Derek,” she whispered lightly.

“I love you too.” He kissed the apple of her cheek, hands smoothing up and down her back.

Allison grinned and went limp, letting him take her weight after he’d slipped out of her. “Well…now I’m gonna be useless for the rest of the afternoon.”

He snorted. “And you’re going to blame me I bet.”

She giggled. “Just a little. My legs feel like jelly but in a good way. I think I really needed that. To…be close to you.”

He massaged her sides. “I’m glad I could give you what you need.” He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. “For what it’s worth I needed it too. I’m over what Kate did to me, but seeing her today did rattle me a little.”

 _I’m a bit surprised he actually admitted that._ “I could tell. After everything you have been through because of her it makes sense seeing her again would cause a reaction. Luckily she cared more about getting under _my_ skin this time than yours. And now…she’ll never get under anyone else’s skin again.”

Derek tenderly lifted her off his lap to sit her onto the couch so that he could redress. “One less monster in the world. We’ll rest here for tonight and get our bearings, then plot a new course for tomorrow.”

Allison righted her bra. _I can’t help but wonder how many new courses we might have left. How long until we reach an end? And what exactly will that look like?_ Shaking her head she finished pulling her clothes on. “Let’s check this place out.” Going sans shoes—just socks—she padded off towards the bar with Derek following behind. “Funny how during all this it never occurred to me to get drunk.”

“Because it would be totally stupid to get drunk during the zombie apocalypse?”

“Well, yes. But on tv people always got drunk at dangerous times,” she explained. “As sort of a fuck you to rules. Can werewolves get drunk?”

“Eventually.” He smirked and opened a bottle of whiskey, giving it a sniff before placing it back on the shelf. “I never cared for alcohol. Never saw the point in taking something that would screw with my perception.”

 _Makes sense._ “You know if it was just us we could do some role playing. Sexy bartender gets it on with her handsome patron. Or handsome bartender seduces the hapless college student.”

Derek laughed. “ _Hapless_ is never a word I would use to describe you. After the baby is born and we make sure he or she has suitable babysitters, we can always go off and role play all you want while scavenging for supplies. As long as we are careful.”

“We’re always careful.” Fiddling around behind the counter, she stopped short at what she saw on the very bottom shelf. “Derek…”

At her tone he came around to stand beside her. “Is that…a CB radio?”

She nodded and hefted it up onto the bar. “It is. It’s…” Blowing off the dust, she twisted the knobs and cleaned off the dials. “Go get Lydia. She’ll know how to hook it up to the car battery.”

“On it.”

Fifteen minutes later and the radio was hooked up thanks to Lydia. Everyone had decided drawing a few of the undead was a risk they were willing to take to get it working.

“So.” Allison wet her lips. “Should we see if anyone is listening? I mean if we connect with someone we don’t want I’ll just turn it off. Though I doubt anyone has anything nowadays that can track a signal.”

Kira tilted her head to the side. “Who are we hoping to contact?”

“The rest of our Pack,” Cora said without hesitation. “We know they’re out there, we just need to hear _something_.”

“Alright. Let’s do this.” Allison took a deep breath and picked up the receiver. “Hello? Is—is anyone out there? This is...well I suppose that’s not important just yet. Who I am is a young woman looking for her father. Her friends. Her Pack. My father and I have a saying; _Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent._ But a lot has happened since I first heard those words, like the world blowing up. So dad if you’re listening I’d like our new saying to be _Nous protegeons ceuz qui ne peuvent pas se proteger eux meme._ ”

As time ticked by and everything remained silent, Allison felt her heart drop just a little. She hadn’t expected anyone to reply but that tiny spark of hope never seemed to dim no matter what was going on. Knowing that her dad and the others were out there but having _no idea_ where; it was a situation that never left her thoughts for very long. Were they okay? Had only Boyd and Erica survived? What if they were in trouble and needed help? What if they died and she never knew how or why?

Lydia smiled and touched Allison’s shoulder. “We’ll try again later. No shortage of batteries around. And we’ll take it with us on the road. Maybe we need to be in a different area for a better frequency.”

“Or higher up.” Cora shrugged. “If there is a water tower or something around I wouldn’t mind scaling it if the wires reach. Long as I don’t get electrocuted.”

Allison chuckled and glanced to Derek who smiled. _I am so lucky to have these people._

Kira rested her elbows on the bar top before inquiring, “What does it mean? What you said to your dad?”

“It means—”

Suddenly a deep voice brought the radio speakers to life, startling all of them. “ _We protect those who cannot protect themselves._ ”

“Holy shit!” Allison exclaimed grabbing up the microphone. “Dad? Dad is this you?”

“Allison,” Chris said sounding weary. “You have no idea how good it is to finally hear your voice.”

Allison laughed as tears slipped down her cheeks. Finally _something_ was going right.


End file.
